Kevin Magnussen started the Chinese Grand Prix from P17 and finished in P16 thanks to his penalty. He had crossed the line in 15th.
The race was going according to the American team’s plan until Lap 27 when Magnussen got into a collision with the RB of Yuki Tsunoda at the race restart. This came after a Safety Car which was deployed to remove Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber at the turn 11 run off.
Magnussen tried to overtake Tsunoda at turn 6 but was clearly behind at the exit and hit right rear tyre of Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver then spun and had to retire due to excessive damage, calling it a day for his Chinese Grand Prix. Magnussen then went on to continue and finish the race after changing tyres following a puncture.
The stewards then handed Magnussen a 10-second time penalty who came to an agreement that the Dane was “predominantly to blame” for the accident.
Ayao Komatsu, the team principal of Haas, has other opinions regarding the penalty handed to his driver.
“I do not think that’s justifiable. I think it’s just a racing incident.
“He didn’t run Tsunoda off the track. He dived inside of Turn 6, he hit the apex, Tsunoda was wide, he still left the room, Tsunoda came back progressively.”
The Haas Team Principal believed his fellow Japanese was the driver in the wrong as he defended his Danish driver over the contact.
“He doesn’t go off the track, so maybe the definition ‘came back’ might be wrong. But it’s not like Kevin [Magnussen] is wholly to blame. For me, minimum 50/50.
“If anything, I think more Tsunoda’s [fault]. Honestly, he didn’t turn into Tsunoda or anything. He’s dived inside, hit the apex, had a snap, but [it] didn’t change the car direction. He didn’t then run Tsunoda off the track.”
Komatsu then demanded an explanation from the race direction as he has differing opinions on the penalty.
“He has still room left. So why is that a penalty?”
